Help with my HRM readings

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hollyhunt123
hollyhunt123 Posts: 19
in Fitness and Exercise
I just purchased a HRM because I want to really make sure I'm getting the most out of my workouts and so I can have as much of an accurate reading for calories. Obviously, if I want to loose weight, I need to make sure I track every calorie I eat and burn. Here's my problem, I went to the gym this morning. I used the treadmill for 60 minutes, walked 3.8 miles at 3.6-3.8 speed, using an incline of 2 for 40 minutes of it. The machine said I burned 652 calories, my HRM says 1011 calories. Now, every time I put my hands on the machine to see if their heart rate was same as my watch, it was....which one do I follow????

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  • AmyRhubarb
    AmyRhubarb Posts: 6,890 Member
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    If your HRM has a chest strap it's reading your heart rate the entire time, whereas the machine only reads it periodically when you put your hands on it (if I'm understanding the machine reading correctly - I don't go to the gym, so have never tried a machine!). I'm no expert, but from what I understand, the HRM would be more accurate, assuming it's got the chest strap and you have your personal info (gender, height, weight, activity level or whatever else it asks for) entered correctly.
  • hollyhunt123
    hollyhunt123 Posts: 19
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    yes, it has a strap and I programed in my weight and all the other stuff....wow, it just seems crazy to think I burned 1011 calories in an hour...thanks
  • AmyRhubarb
    AmyRhubarb Posts: 6,890 Member
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    It is a high burn, and great if it's accurate! :happy: What brand of HRM do you have?
  • Azdak
    Azdak Posts: 8,281 Member
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    The 652 is more likely to be correct. (I can't tell for sure since you don't list your weight). Your HRM is overestimating, either because its not a very good one, or because your actual max heart rate is a lot higher than the default number in your HRM setup.

    Keep in mind that if you hold on to the handrails, than even the 652 is overestimating.

    I have written about this extensively today already, so I don't have time to go into details, but, if you do not hold on to the handrails, and you are walking (level or incline), and you are on a decent commercial treadmill, the treadmill calorie numbers will be more accurate than an HRM. That only holds true for treadmills, not ellipticals.

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